Kept in Peace, Kept in Jesus

Surrounded by noise, kept in peace

Devotional Credit
In Christ, E. Stanley Jones

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Anxiety is loud. It grabs our hands, tells us to hold life together, and calls that control. E. Stanley Jones points us back to Philippians 4, where the Father invites us to trade anxious clutching for grateful surrender in prayer. The promise is not a thin calm. It is the peace of God that guards our hearts and our minds in Jesus.

Jones notes that this peace reaches the heart first. I have found that to be true. Understanding often arrives later, but the guarding starts now. The Spirit steadies the inner person while the details are still in motion. That is not denial. That is belonging to the One who keeps us while we wait.

This life is not stoic. It is relational. We live in union with the risen Jesus, and His peace is not outside us. The Spirit lives in us, and He shares the very peace of the Messiah from the inside out. We are not trying to invent serenity. We are learning to receive what we already possess in Him.

Thank You, E. Stanley Jones, for reminding us that the anxiety version of prayer keeps the weight on our shoulders, while thanksgiving entrusts the matter to God. In Jesus we are a kept people. In Him there are no insoluble problems. Outside of Him we grind our gears. Today we can rest the full weight of our concerns on the One who holds us.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am with you, and I am peace. You have peace with God through the Lord Jesus, and My peace rules within you. Set your mind on the Spirit, and life and peace will rise. Cast your care on Me, because I care for you. Present your requests with thanksgiving, and My peace will stand guard over your heart and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

You are in the Beloved, and I joined you to Him in death and in life. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ. Present your body to God as one alive from the dead. Let the word of the Messiah dwell in you richly. Let His peace rule in your heart, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful.

Abide in Me. Apart from Me you can do nothing. In Me you bear much fruit. My fruit in you is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. I keep you in perfect peace as your mind stays on Me, because you trust in Me. In the world you face trouble, yet in Jesus you have peace. The God of peace Himself gives you peace at all times in every way, and I will be with you.

When anxious thoughts press, do not carry them alone. Turn to Me within. I am your refuge and strength. I quiet you with My love. I supply every need according to the riches of the glory of God in Christ Jesus. I am faithful. I complete what I begin. I keep your heart as you rest in Me.

Scripture references: Philippians 4:6 to 7, Romans 5:1, Colossians 3:15 to 16, Romans 8:6, 1 Peter 5:7, Romans 6:11 to 13, John 15:4 to 5, Galatians 5:22 to 23, Isaiah 26:3 to 4, John 16:33, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Psalm 46:1, Zephaniah 3:17, Philippians 4:19, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Philippians 1:6, Romans 8:9 to 11, Ephesians 2:13 to 18, Matthew 6:25 to 34, Psalm 55:22, John 14:27, Colossians 2:6 to 7.

Real-Life Analogy
Think of turning on noise canceling headphones in a busy airport. The crowd is still there. The announcements still happen. Yet a quiet settles inside the earcups, and you can think clearly again. In a deeper way, the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, brings the peace of Jesus to your inner life. The circumstances may continue, but He guards your heart on the inside where anxiety used to echo. Your part is not to shout down the noise. Your part is to trust the One within and let His life do the guarding.

A simple practice for today. When worry starts to spiral during a medical bill call, a school meeting, or a repair estimate, pause for a breath and hand the moment to the Lord. Say, Lord, I place this conversation in Your hands, express Your peace through me right now. Then speak slowly, ask one clear question, and let the Spirit set the tone.

Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that the peace of God stands guard over my heart and mind in Jesus. Thank You that I am already Yours, already kept, already supplied in Him. I agree with You that I am alive to God, and I welcome Your peace to rule in me as I walk through the tasks in front of me today. I rejoice that You are near, and I rest in Your faithful care. Amen.